About
"Women in German Herstory Project” is a website dedicated to charting the history of the feminist German Studies organization, The Coalition of Women in German (WiG). The site acts as an online archive of historical information—including institutional documentation, newsletters, historical photographs, artwork, oral histories, and correspondence that represent the organization’s past and present. This archive provides an important opportunity to document the historical presence of WiG, as well as related changes to the culture and climate of feminists in academia more broadly.
Launched in 2016 in honor of the WiG’s 40th Anniversary (1974-2014), the site has been a collective endeavor of a number of Wiggies, and under the mentorship of Digital Curation Librarian (DCL) Alicia Peaker (Bryn Mawr College), DCL Catie (Newton) Heil (The College of Wooster), and College of Wooster German Studies Professor Dr. Beth Muellner. The initial archival research was completed by Grace Shannon (German-Russian College of Wooster Alum ’17) and Dr. Muellner in August 2016 with a College of Wooster Faculty-Student Summer Research Grant. Alicia Peaker introduced WiG members to the site and to Omeka navigation in an Omeka Workshop held at the 2017 WiG conference in Banff, Alberta Canada. Dr. Muellner, Dr. Beverly Weber, and Dr. Britt Abel contributed the first oral histories with current and emeritus WiG members (Dr. Patricia Herminghouse in 2016, Dr. Sara Lennox in 2016, and Dr. Ruth-Ellen Joeres in 2017, respectively). In Summer and Fall 2017, College of Wooster undergrad Mackenzie Owens has worked steadily to populate the site with archived materials, and to begin to build the items and collections. Dr. Karolina May-Chu (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) and Dr. Viktorija Bilic (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) will continue to work on guidelines and standards, to contribute additional content, and create exhibits and presentations based upon the collection.
This archive was created as a community space for those who are or have been associated with the Coalition of Women in German, as well as those interested in the history of feminist German Studies, scholarship and education more broadly. As you explore this website, an ever-expanding archive, we hope that you will see reflected our rich history, our thriving present, and our commitment to the feminist principle of creating a better world for all. If you'd like to participate in the project, please contact Dr. Beth Muellner, bmuellner@wooster.edu.
Project Team & Acknowledgements • Dr. Beth Ann Muellner, Professor of German Studies, College of Wooster • Dr. Alicia Peaker, Digital Curation Librarian, Bryn Mawr College • Catie (Newton) Heil, Digital Curation Librarian, College of Wooster • Grace Shannon, German-Russian double major, College of Wooster Class of 2017 • Mackenzie Owen, Biology major, College of Wooster Class of 2019 • Dr. Karolina May-Chu, Assistant Professor of German, UW-Milwaukee • Dr. Viktorija Bilic, Associate Professor, Translation & Interpreting Studies, UW-Milwaukee • Dr. Sara Lennox, Emerita German Studies Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst • Dr. Patricia Herminghouse, Emerita Professor of German, University of Rochester • Dr. Helen Fehervary, Academy Professor of Germanic Lang. & Lit., The Ohio State University • Dr. Amy Kepple Strawser, Modern Languages & Cultures/Integrative Studies, Otterbein University/OSU • Dr. Allie Merley Hill, Associate Professor of German, University of Portland, Oregon • Dr. Mareike Herrmann, Professor of German Studies, College of Wooster • Dr. Beverly Weber, Associate Professor of German Studies and Jewish Studies, University of Colorado-Boulder • Dr. Karen Achberger, Professor of German, St. Olaf College • Dr. Faye Stewart, Associate Professor of German, Georgia State University • Dr. Britt Abel, Assistant Professor / Director of Writing, Macalester College • Dr. Stefanie Ohnesorg, Associate Professor of German Studies, University of Tennesee-Knoxville • Dr. Heike Henderson, Associate Professor of German Studies, Boise State University • Dr. Hester Baer, Associate Professor of German Studies, University of Maryland-College Park • Dr. Barbara Kosta, Professor of German, University of Arizona • Dr. Margarete Lamb-Faffelberger, Professor of German, Lafayette College
We are grateful for funding and support from the following: • All of those who have generously contributed material from their personal archives, participated in interviews, and made other contributions to the digital history • Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, WI • The College of Wooster Student-Faculty Collaborative Grant (August 2016) • The College of Wooster Summer Research Grant (Summer 2017) • The College of Wooster Sophomore Research Grant (Fall 2017)